http://www.consulfrance-newyork.org/Survey-of-the-French-community
(citation format unknown)
On the Consulate General of France in New York’s website, I found a survey of the French community living in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Bermuda (places under the New York consular jurisdiction). The purpose of the study was to use the data to improve the services of the Consulate. This survey was conducted in 2011 with responses from almost 5000 French citizens.
The most relevant pieces of statistics and data to my project are:
- from where the French citizens come
- in what parts of NYC they are more highly concentrated
- why they are in the U.S.
Some important notes about this survey: the people who answered the survey were more likely to have stronger connections to the Consulate. Therefore, it is not accurately representative of the total French community in the New York consular jurisdiction.
The highest age brackets of respondents were 36-45 and 26-35. 40% are have dual nationalities, 32% of which are French-American. 61% of the 32% also report having a third nationality.
Information as determined by the zip codes:
Out of the respondents, 3/4 live in the state of New York. 61.5% live in New York City. The following chart shows the division of the French residing in New York City, as divided by boroughs.
| Manhattan | 45% |
| Brooklyn | 10% |
| Queens | 5% |
| Bronx | 1% |
| Staten Island | 0.5% |
Information as determined by cities cited:
2748 respondents (58.4%) cite New York City.
Within Manhattan, more than 25% live in Upper East Side. 15% to 20% live in Upper West Side and Midtown. 10% to 15% live in Chelsea, Greenwich Village, Tribeca, Soho, East Village, and Lower East Side. 5% to 10% live in Hamilton Heights and Harlem. Less than 5% live in Lower Manhattan, Upper Manhattan, and Roosevelt Island.
To get a sense of the social standing of those who replied, the majority of the respondents have a high level of education. 52% have a Master’s. 13% have a doctorate. Total, 90% have at least a Bac (high school diploma) +2, as opposed to 23% of all French. Only 1% do not have any diploma.
80% have a professional activity, in comparison to 63% of French nationwide. Of those, 56% are salaried at a company, 16% as an independent entrepreneur. 20% work in finance and 11% work in teaching.
Expatriation: 30% plan on staying in the U.S. definitively. For temporary residents, the most often range reported (16%) is 2 to 5 years.
Reasons for moving to the U.S.:
(by ranking the different reasons and citing multiple)
39% – improvement of career, 29% – follow partner, 28% – professional necessity, 27% – discover another culture, 25% – want to leave France, 21% – prefer the American professional style, 17% – to continue studies, 16% – increase revenues, 16% – learn another language, 8% – other, 7% – birth in the U.S., 2% – trace back ancestors
(by listing one principal reason)
22% – follow partner, 18% – professional necessity, 17% – improvement of career, 13% – continue studies, etc.
Reasons such as discovering another culture, wanting to leave France, and preference for the American professional style were shown to be less decisive reasons for moving to U.S., however, they helped finalize the decision to become an expatriate. Learning a new language and increasing revenues were shown to be very less cited in both cases, however, this data seems to contradict the 2008 research done by la Maison des Français de l’Etranger, which showed 23% were mainly motivated by learning a new language, 24% by increasing revenues. Results will also differ depending on whether the respondents are American citizens because they were born here or moved here because of their parents at a young age.
There are many factors to consider while looking at this survey, however, it serves as a good starting point in gauging what the active part of the French community in the New York area is like. It also helps locate the residents in New York City (very important for locating hotspots of French culture) and shed light on their motivations for living in the U.S. (most fall under professional or affective reasons). Improvement of career is the most frequently reported reason, indicating an image of the U.S. as dynamic and the beholder of opportunities.
